Case study: Partnering with SafeRide

Challenge

The over-65 demographic is one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S. In fact, by 2020 over 50M Americans will be older than 65.

Optimal Aging is a home care platform that helps older adults remain independent. It keeps seniors in their homes, rather than having to move into a skilled nursing facility. Optimal Aging provides transportation, home maintenance support, grocery delivery and home care. Optimal Aging connects patients with vetted support for everyday chores and household upkeep. By retaining their independence, Optimal Aging members are happier, healthier and require less medical interventions; this lowers health care costs to the supporting healthcare network.

Intervention

Lack of mobility is a key concern for the older adults. Missed medical appointments can quickly escalate to costly hospital visits. SafeRide Health partnered with Optimal Aging to help preserve seniors’ independence, while keeping clients in their homes and out of hospitals.

Charlie’s Journey

Charlie is a high functioning grandparent but has limited mobility due to multiple chronic conditions and memory loss. Charlie relies on his daughter, Susan, for rides to medical appointments. Unfortunately, Susan struggles because Charlie’s appointments conflict with her work schedule.

The solution? Optimal Aging. When Charlie has an appointment that Susan can’t support, Optimal Aging seamlessly books medically-qualified transport in under 60 seconds. The day of the appointment, Charlie receives a reminder of his appointment and pick-up by text, then an alert when the vehicle is at his doorstep. Concurrently, Optimal Aging monitors the entire journey in real time. The result is simple, dignified transport for loved ones. Susan does not need to miss work and Charlie gets to his medical appointment. Accordingly, SafeRide customer and patient satisfaction ratings exceed the 90th percentile.

Results

Through SafeRide and Optimal Aging, Charlie has not missed a single appointment since his enrollment. “SafeRide has been a wonderful solution to my father’s mobility issue, “ says Susan. “Knowing my dad can remain independent, in his house and out of a nursing home improves his quality of life and mine, too."

“Our mission is to connect the world to care,” said SafeRide CEO, Robbins Schrader. “Our partnership with Optimal Aging expands our mission to not only a new service area, but also a new industry: home health,” he says.

About SafeRide

SafeRide Health is a digital health platform that improves access to care by delivering medically qualified transport. It simplifies health system operations, improves patient outcomes and reduces cost for some of the U.S.’s leading healthcare systems. SafeRide support clients in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, the broader Midwest, the Carolinas and the greater New York area.

Locations

About Swedish

Since 1910, Swedish has been the Seattle area's hallmark for excellence in hospitals and health care. Swedish is consistently named the Seattle area's best hospital, with the best doctors, nurses and overall care in a variety of specialty areas. Learn more.